Category Archives: Toilet Plumbing

Q: I’ve recently read some articles which say that utility companies, municipal water companies and the treatment plants etc., are “freakin’-out” because folks have started to flush all kinds of pre-moistened towelettes down the toilet. This wasn’t so much of a problem in the past. Apparently these can cause havoc all the way down the plumbing system at the treatment plants. What’s the deal with this? Is it really that bad? Can it affect my plumbing lines or only the municipal systems? Is toilet paper the only thing I should ever flush down the toilet?

A: The short answer is YES the treatment plants are “freaking out!” Unfortunately, this translates into higher rates for everyone because they have to structure & modify their equipment to deal with all of these so-called “flushable” over-the-counter products like wipes, cat litter, female sanitary products etc. The main issue is this stuff does not macerate well like human waste and toilet paper. (Sorry for the visual!)

Eventually everything makes it to a pump system or means of mechanically moving, sorting & filtering (the raw sewer). Some of these “wipes” are just short of a cloth rag. “Flushable” in that it will flush and go down but it’s no good for any part of the system down the line. Plumbers joke around the water cooler about how great these products are for keeping us very busy!

The flushable cat litter is just as bad or worse because it absorbs a ton of water & swells up. This can cause havoc in the plumbing system!

When I walk down the aisle at the supermarket and see a new “flushable” product, I pause to thank the manufacturer for their patronage. This used to bother me more when I lived in a neighborhood forced to pay sewer rates, but now I have a private septic system!

Look inside your toilet tank. If there are bolts in the bottom that look like the picture below (corroded & rusty) – then it’s only a matter of time before they break off and water leaks and floods all over the bathroom floor!

Sutherland Plumbing’s Hard Work, Dedication & Quality Workmanship.

It’s Not Just Talk, It’s Who We Are.

Sutherland Plumbing crew member Sean Anderson ready for more hard work after replacing waste and water lines for a remodeling job at a home in Portland, Oregon. In the background you can see that not only do we replace your old plumbing fixtures – we’ll dispose of them too…

Sutherland Plumbing crew members John Benton and Sean Anderson replace waste & water lines for a remodeling job at a home in Portland, Oregon. We do whatever it takes to get the job done with the highest quality standards.

Save Water AND Money!

The single best thing you can do to improve toilet efficiency is to replace an old inefficient toilet with a newer water-efficient model. Toilets are typically the largest indoor water user. Older toilets use between 3.5 and 7 gallons per flush (gpf) – while new high-efficiency toilets (HETs) and dual flush toilets use 1.3 gpf or less. This is more than 50% to 75% savings in water per toilet!

While we at Sutherland Plumbing take pride in our daily hard work and ability to turn our customers’ unfortunate “problems” into “opportunities for solutions.” We also acknowledge that Plumbing can be beautiful, too…

May 25th 2017

This is the first review I’ve ever written and Sutherland Plumbing deserves it!

John and his crew were extremely professional and came over one day to check everything in the house to determine what might have caused our high water bills.

They came back a few days later to replace the upstairs and downstairs “contractor special” toilets; a lowboy, under the stairs, a water heater (including a drip pan & hose to the crawl space in case of an overflow leak) and the outdoor hose faucet with a non-freeze unit.

John explained everything thoroughly, they worked quickly, gave us discounts, used only high grade materials, covered their work shoes and left everything spotless!!! What more could you ask for? You couldn’t even tell they had been here!

And, without mentioning it, John replaced one of the shower heads and even put a light source & switch in the crawl space so that we no longer have to go down there like miners with our flashlight and lantern!

When you consider that we now have low flush, one-piece “Toto” toilets, a secured and potentially flood proof Bradford-White water heater, crawl space lighting and a non-frost outdoor water outlet that will be trouble proof for many years to come, it was worth it.

If you want to use lesser quality/lower price products, they might not be the company for you. But, if you want long-term, solid products put in with excellent workmanship, then Sutherland Plumbing are the ones to call.

5 Stars (Yelp)

The Kent Family – Portland, OR

***

May 13th 2017

Value. Often it’s the peace of mind in knowing you received an excellent product with exceptional service at a fair cost, along with a great warranty.

I’m the maintenance coordinator of a 38 unit condo complex, so I see a lot of contractors every week. When my own hot water heater needed to be replaced, I called Sutherland Plumbing. John was quick to return my call, provided a written estimate right away and by the luck of a canceled appointment, was able to get out to me the same day (which is really helpful when you have no hot water in the house)!

John and Cameron were efficient, clean & punctual. They put plastic covers on the stairs & entryway and wore shoe covers, etc. They improved on the existing situation, explained what they did and how to operate the new unit, cleaned their work area to spotless when finished and the price came in at bid, even showing me how to save $25 on the bill. Nobody likes to have to come out of pocket for unexpected homeowner repairs but I was very satisfied with a job exceptionally well done.

Value. I found it with Sutherland Plumbing and give them my highest recommendation without hesitation!

5 Stars (Yelp)

Charles M – Lake Oswego, OR

***

May 1st 2017

You know when something important or expensive breaks, it’s usually at two o’clock in the morning on a Sunday and no one will help you for days?

Sutherland Plumbing will help you ASAP.

I’ve called Sutherland Plumbing on multiple occasions. They’ve always been honest, forthright, realistic in their quotes and delivery of work quality. They show up when they say they will and are good at communicating. They are professional, courteous and respectful.

I know Sutherland Plumbing will fix things the right way, the first time and I trust them not to try and up-sell me on things I don’t need or want.

I trust them in my home and I trust them to help me when I need a plumbing expert. Every time.

“We’ve all been there. The water tank is emitting a strange gurgling sound and we know something’s not right. We call the plumber and pray that the house hasn’t become the Niagara Falls by the time he arrives. We wait on tenterhooks, anxiously watching the clock. Finally, the doorbell rings and there he is. We’re so relieved we want to kiss him.

Instead we get a hold of ourselves and usher him up to the attic. Using wrenches and pliers and working by torchlight, he emerges some time later – t-shirt soaked with copper-coloured grime – and pronounces the job done. Oh the joy of having running water once more! We take a look at 17 Emergency Situations When You’ll be Glad You Know a Plumber – and express our gratitude to all those nifty plumbers who keep our modern conveniences in good nick.”

This service went completely smoothly. Ti and Sean arrived early (with my blessing) and accomplished the replacements with a minimum of fuss. Ti is honest, forthright and easy to work with. The cleanup after the job was thorough. I definitely will use Sutherland Plumbing again if I have a plumbing issues in the future. Highly recommended!

RATING : A

Bill B – Portland, OR

Response from Ti Sutherland:

What a treat it is to learn of your positive experience with us. Thank you for taking the time to submit your feedback!

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November 24, 2014

Sutherland Plumbing inspected our upstairs & downstairs toilets and repaired one. They checked the water flow and diagnosed the source of a noisy pipe.

Everything was coordinated well and Sutherland Plumbing showed-up on time. Very friendly & professional. Ti used a little ingenuity to fix the downstairs toilet. It works fine now. I plan to use Sutherland Plumbing to install a regulator to solve our noisy pipe problem. Definitely recommended!